Cedarville University Team Claims World Championship

Cedarville, Ohio-A team of recent Cedarville University engineering graduates has laid claim to the rarest of titles: World Champion. The team, consisting of 2004 CU engineering graduates Adam Felmlee of Corsica, Pa.; John Hagley of Upland, W.Va.; Brian Montague of Jackson, Mich.; Brian Morgan of Mount Morris, N.Y.; Josh Root of Wynantskill, N.Y.; and Emily Snyder of Vestal, N.Y., recently won 2004 Solar Splash®, the world championship of solar/electric boating. Dr. Tim Dewhurst, professor of mechanical engineering, served as the faculty adviser to the project; he and the team were assisted by Toby Dewhurst and Nathanael Dewhurst of Springfield, Ohio.
"We are simply thrilled at this accomplishment of our students," said Dr. Larry Zavodney, chairman of Cedarville University's Elmer W. Engstrom Department of Engineering. "Solar Splash® is an international intercollegiate competition that involves students designing, building, and sailing their boats and undergoing a series of competitive evaluations," Zavodney explained. "Those evaluations include technical reports, visual displays, and workmanship. On-the-water competitions include a sprint and a maneuverability qualifier, followed by the 'Solar Slalom,' which is a combination of speed and maneuverability. The final events are sprint and endurance tests," Zavodney said.
The CU entry placed first in the sprint event, second in the solar slalom, and third in both the endurance event and technical report evaluations. Cedarville was the only team to win trophies in all four categories. The overall strength of their entry resulted in their being named the Solar Splash® 2004 Collegiate World Champions of Solar/Electric Boating.
The CU entry outpaced those of teams from more than 20 other schools, including Cal-Poly Pomona, Washington State University, the University of Arkansas, the U.S. Naval Academy, Messiah College, and École Technologie Supérieur from Montreal, Canada. World Champions from past years have included Kanazawa Institute of Technology (Kanazawa, Japan), École Technologie Supérieur (Montreal, Canada), the University of South Carolina, and the University of Arkansas. Complete results of the competition can be viewed at www.solarsplash.com.
Located in Cedarville, Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, independent Christian university of arts, sciences, professional, and graduate programs. Offering 100 areas of study to 3,000 students, the University features an award-winning campus computer network and a worldwide Christian ministries program. Visit the University Web site at www.cedarville.edu.
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Dr. Tim Dewhurst (left) and members of the Cedarville University World Championship solar/electric boating team pose with their boat. Pictured with Dewhurst are Adam Felmlee of Corsica, Pa.; Brian Morgan of Mount Morris, N.Y.; John Hagley of Upland, W.Va.; Brian Montague of Jackson, Mich.; and Toby Dewhurst and Nathanael Dewhurst of Springfield, Ohio. Team members not pictured are Josh Root of Wynantskill, N.Y. and Emily Snyder of Vestal, N.Y.